The Keep of Grunwich Forest

"Thank you, Milady" says Ria, eagerly taking the rations and letting the water bring some comfort to her dry throat. The girl seemed to have quite a good appetite, though she still took care to eat in small, little bites lest she appear uncivilized. Then however, both her and Aldric beamed up at the bard given her respective words... and much more, indeed, when she started signing... immediately drawing both of them into the world of her chants.

Leina for her part scoffed "Knocking would be good, but not in the context you know it. We'd need a spell to get through such heavily warded doors... unfortunately, I don't know it yet... I'd need to research in order to try my luck at it. Green Knight, you do reality a disservice by even giving the notion of those brutes setting up such a beautiful magical lock and door the consideration of speaking about it. No, no, whatever lies behind these doors has been here before those two ever came here. My professional opinion would be to ignore it"

"As for the wealth of the missing merchants... well, it seems like the Ogres never set foot on this keep. Wouldn't it stand to reason that they set their hoard in the building from which the biggest ugly came?"

As for Drusus... he could not see any historical marking that would help him reconcile the door or the keep with his knowledge of what happened before. However... on the markings of the door, there was indeed something that would be familiar. On the left side of it there was an ancient symbol of his God... a mark not used by his followers for centuries. It was lovingly and carefully carved upon the wood... and should he lay his fingers upon it, he would feel warmth in his spirit... a light connection with his deity. Whoever were once Masters of this keep were friends and allies of his God... of that he could be certain.

edited 10th Feb '15 2:40:09 PM by daltar

Oisín shrugged as Leina said that before he departed, "All the better for myself then. I'll mention if to lot of them above all the same, as they may not have your good judgement not to be tinkering with the likes of these. Otherwise, I'll be setting my bed shortly."

—-

Oisín looked at Sanna with a half smirk, "I was only down to fetch the lad and check me horse, you can hardly expect me to have discovered something on me way to check poor Tírnanóg."

"Still," He said with a wider smile, "As I like you, I've gone above and beyond for ye again; There's a door down the stairs which Nim and Drusus are looking at."

"No need to thank me, just leave me listen to the song."

edited 10th Feb '15 3:06:16 PM by Fauxlosophe

Sanna, still perturbed, didn't even attempt to fling one of her verbal barbs at Oisin. "Half-blood. The cat is not Ria's, and it helped save her. Too smart, too kind, for normal cat."

She shrugged. "You talk to it. I will look at the door." And without further comment, she walked up silently to Leina and Drusus, and inspected the giant, ornate doors.

Perception check on doors.

edited 10th Feb '15 7:27:04 PM by Pyrite

Oisín nodded non-chalantly, and sat more clearly in view to the rest, near the shield which he had set for Ria's pillow.

Quietly, he motioned the cat, clicking his tongue against his teeth gently and making room in his lap.

edited 10th Feb '15 6:54:13 PM by Fauxlosophe

When Drusus cast his eye on the door's carved marking, he froze. His normally cool eyes widened in recognition. Drusus briskly moved before the door to get a closer look and confirm his eyes told true. "This symbol!" he said aloud, lifting a hand to touch the door.

As he slid his hand over the old carving, Drusus felt a power. It was warm, warm in a way fire and sunrays of all seasons were not like; and it felt familiar to him.

Drusus knew this symbol. He wracked his brain for whatever information on it he knew.

Religion check to recognize further details about the symbol

Sanna for her part would feel some measure of recognition for a couple of the symbols set upon the door... but no true knowledge of their meaning. However, the connection was there... she felt as if she had seen them at some point in her training.

Drusus, after doing his best to recollect more about the symbols would merely remember where he last saw them... on a section of a religious text, explaining the evolution and myriad of symbols related to his God. The at that moment only had a small aside explaining this particular permutation, explaining it came from the "Green Folk of the North"

Oisin's attempts to make a cat do as instructed would prove, as many other attempts to make cats do anything, to be fruitless. However, the cat did move towards him... to try and sit on top of his head.

Lissa finished the song, letting the last few notes trail out, and smiled at Aldrik and Ria. "Well, what did you think? Any further requests?"

Oisín let the cat climb onto his shoulders as he touched the edge of his shield with his hand and muttered a quick prayer in Sylvan and relaxed, opening his mind to the outside world.

This would allow him to detect anything overtly strange with the cat.

Turn the Faithless and Divine Sense. If the cat is fey, it should try fleeing, divine or infernal I should be aware of which and if undead, both. Otherwise Oisín is letting the cat climb as it will. Though I'd be impressed if it managed to actually rest on his head; I've never seen a cat do that successfully

There was nothing to suggest this was anything but what Drusus suspected. "It is a symbol of the all forming." He said. "This barrier..." Drusus turned to view the keep's great hall in wonder "... perhaps this entire place... was made by worshippers of Hagal."

There could be no doubt. This is where his God had meant for him to come.

"I must get past this door." Drusus started from basics with simply trying to open the door.

"That was... Ma'am that was... like... Oh wow..." Says Aldrik, showing his eloquence, a big goofy smile on his face after hearing such a lovely song.

"It was truly, truly beautiful, Miss" says Ria, having finished her trail rations "May I request... Hmm... Gentle Breeze on the Path?"

"Eeeh? That one is way boring, Lady Ria... No, no, uh... The Three Brothers and the Dragon!" asks Aldrik with enthusiasm.

"That one, young Carter? If you want an exciting one then Princess Marith's March is way more powerful..."

While such a debate for music was being wrought, Oisin was using various magics on quick succession... and the results were soon to be found, as the cat which was playfully trying to climb his head, suddenly hissed and jumped away from him... not before it left behind some shallow scratches. Turning to see the cat, Oisin would see the creature practically glaring at him from the entrance to the room before it bolted away elsewhere in the keep. However, his Divine Sense couldn't ping it as either Celestial or Infernal in origin... though it did reveal something more interesting. It appeared that the keep itself was consecrated... hallowed ground. He specially felt a sacred locale, blessed by magic somewhere below... underground even, somewhere underneath the keep.

Drusus' efforts to open the door would prove to be in vain... as the door gave not an inch by his push and trying the door handle would be as if they were so stuck as to not provide even the slightest of movement. He could see the symbol of his God on the doors... but only on one side. Whatever magics held the door shut wouldn't open for him merely on that connection.

"... Well, at the very least it didn't explode... or shock you with lightning. Or drop poisoned darts or something" says Leina from behind one of the posts making up railing of the staircase where she had taken cover "You kind of touched it before I could warn you, but it seems like this one just keeps itself closed... Thankfully. You have no idea all the sorts of magical wards to do nasty stuff you can read about in Arcane books"

Lissa looked over at Oisin, smiling just a bit. "Not good with cats, sir knight? That's a bit surprising, actually. You didn't tease the poor thing, did you?" Turning back to Aldrik and Ria, she raised a hand, gently trying to settle them down. "Now, now, if I may... how about Dance on the Green?"

Sanna blanched a little at the mention of arcane wards, as she had been tempted to transform into a bear once again and brute force her way through. "What now, little one? You are the magician here."

edited 13th Feb '15 12:09:57 AM by Pyrite

"Ah, I teased the nature of the poor thing from it," Oisín sat back and smiled, "I've no great trouble with cats, though they may be fickle and fey, it's the fey there who can take me and leave me as they please."

edited 13th Feb '15 8:20:05 AM by Fauxlosophe

"Uhh... I don't know that one" says Aldrik after a moment of consideration.

Ria for her part, lay her hands on her lap and smiled "If you wish to sing it, Milady, then I'm sure it will be quite a treat. Please do so"

Leina considered the issue for a moment, then walked to the side of the door and tapped the stone a few times before making a face of concern "Uhh... I think we better leave this secret unsolved for the moment. I don't have the magic to undo the ward at the moment and trying to force our way in may be somewhat risky. Perhaps there is another entrance into this room elsewhere in the keep... There are plenty of rooms yet to be explored"

"The cat was fey?" Lissa asked, frowning somewhat. If nothing else, it had helped them... troubling as it was to rely on the creatures in any sense, what was done was done, and now the best thing to do was to avoid any further dealings with it. Looking to take her mind off of the matter, she touched her pipes to her lips and started into Dance on the Green, a nice and peppy jig.

"Aye," Oisín nodded, then turned to the cat and spoke in Sylvan.

<<I can see you're much Cat but I can tell now you're at least in part Fey,>> he said beckoning it again, apologetically, <<Have you still a Sylvan tongue or has the Cat in you gotten that as well?>>

edited 14th Feb '15 10:28:30 PM by Fauxlosophe

The star chested cat merely hisses at Oisin and then runs away from view of the room... probably to roam somewhere else on the Keep. Apparently by speaking the secret words which were painful for the Fey to hear, he has earned the cat's enmity.

• "I went out to the hazel wood,
• Because a fire was in my head,
• And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
• And hooked a berry to a thread;
• And when white moths were on the wing,
• And moth-like stars were flickering out,
• I dropped the berry in a stream
• And caught a little silver trout.

• When I had laid it on the floor
• I went to blow the fire a-flame,
• But something rustled on the floor,
• And someone called me by my name:
• It had become a glimmering girl
• With apple blossom in her hair
• Who called me by my name and ran
• And faded through the brightening air.

• Though I am old with wandering
• Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
• I will find out where she has gone,
• And kiss her lips and take her hands;
• And walk among long dappled grass,
• And pluck till time and times are done,
• The silver apples of the moon,
• The golden apples of the sun."

Oisín concluded his brief poem and yawned.

"We'll figure the fey cat, the seal and see what we have for findings in the morning," He stretched, and began to remove his armour, "I've a bed set on Tírnanóg, Aldrik, you should bring it up. If no one else has one to offer, I'm certain Ria would appreciate it, if the pair of you can't share. Myself, I've no issue with a bed of wood nor grass and I'm certain I could make a blanket of the tapestry."

"I feel it's been a month of a day and I'd like to see it over and ourselves able to return in good health."

edited 17th Feb '15 9:30:26 PM by Fauxlosophe

Thus, the group went to bed for the night... the keep providing safe shelter for the night. Coming morning, the entire group would find themselves with ample time to explore the rest of the inner keep, getting to know most of its layout◊.

Each of the five towers within the keep seemed to have a different name, markings on top of the door to them giving a hint to them. A star, the sun, the moon, woodlands and a flowing river. On the second floor they found many empty rooms, though near the forest tower they found what appeared to once been a library and study... with many wooden bookshelves, unfortunately bereft of much literature... It appeared as if the contents of it had been moved elsewhere, pilfered and otherwise eaten by worms over a long time of neglect. However, upon one wall there was a piece that was somewhat conserved... though badly. Framed therein there was a map◊ in really bad state... one which obviously, at some moment held a lot of detail, but by exposure and neglect now only bore the barest and biggest features left within it.

On the next door, entering the second story of the Forest tower they found what appeared to once be a laboratory... with a big stone table and some glass vials left within it. It also housed an old, rusted brass telescope. On the first floor, underneath where they slept in the Moon Tower, they found what appeared to be an ancient kitchen and south of it a storage room of some sort, probably the pantry. On the Forest Tower they also found what appeared to be an ancient armory... neat rows meant for blades, bows, polearms and other weapons and armor were carefully organized in old wood. However, the weapons they found within, despite obviously having made in great quality in their time, were mostly rusted... except for a trio. A bow, a dagger and spear... all set in a locked drawer, surrounded by velvet. Despite the passing of time, each of the pieces were in perfect condition, unmarred by time and of great quality... and a quick inspection by Leina revealed a very faint aura of magic about them.

Then, moving outwards, the party would find the corpses of the two ogres being feasted upon by the wolves... who seemingly held no love for their old masters. Besides the four live ones they met before, they would find four more, making a pack of eight, though two were barely out of being puppies. If they ward away the wolves, they would find on the ogres pouches packed with some stuff... the one of the albino was full of dead rats, a blue green zircon and six copper coins. The one of the big one instead, held about twenty five gold pieces, a carefully carved bone figurine of a crying humanoid, a silver dagger and on his finger he carried an otherwise plain ring of gold.

Then, however, would the group stumble onto the lair of the beasts... on the East building where the big one had come from. The place was... a mess to be honest. Full of corpses hung for aging of the meat, some of horses... but some obviously of humans. There was a makeshift bed of wolf pelts on a corner... and besides that was a sight that would move the heart of any adventurer. The lost merchant's hoard plus what the ogres had managed to plunder.

A veritable pile of gold, copper, silver and even the faint glint of platinum. Should they take the time to count it all, they would know that they had 623 pieces of copper, 10256 pieces of silver, 2145 pieces of gold and 76 pieces of platinum. Additionally, they would find a silver hairpin set with citrine, a fine steel orb and an electrum choker, all of them fine enough to fetch at least a hundred pieces in a city market. However, that was not the extend of the hoard. For within there were items brimming with the glow of magic... a beautiful Lyre, an amulet with a heart made of jewels decorating its front, a wondrous wooden shield and a magical staff and a wand.

However, another small event occurred during the night. While the rest of the party slept soundly... Drusus was visited by a strange dream. A dream of a great tree... and then, a green glow coming from beneath the rubble of the circular ruins in the very middle of the courtyard.

edited 19th Feb '15 11:23:44 PM by daltar

"Oh, this is a tragedy," Lissa moaned, coming back into the central chamber, where most of the hoard had been carried to free the party from spending more time than they had to in the filthy, stinking building that had been the ogres' lair. "All the books are ruined! If it wasn't the damp, it was the worms..." She sighed. "At least the map is still in somewhat good shape; I could probably restore it if I had time..." She scratched her cheek. "But that's a concern for later. For this..." She nodded toward the hoard, a truly stunning amount of coin - not to mention the magical items that lay set aside from the money, gleaming in the sunlight coming through cracks in the stonework. "What will we do with those? Leina says they're magic; can you tell us what each one does?"

edited 19th Feb '15 11:05:40 PM by RedSavant

"Unfooooortunaly, I cannot. I know of a spell to discern their powers, however I don't know the spell itself to cast it. Still, knowing the theory of magic in such wondrous items with some experimentation and contact we should be able to discern their properties and use if any" says Leina, grabbing the Lyre and then handing it to Lissa "Hmmm you don't have to stop or anything... but try to keep touching it at all moments. To feel a bond with the item's magic it may require a little time. However if you do bond with it, you should slowly come to know what the item is capable to do intuitively. Such is the will of that kind of items" says Leina, grabbing the wand for the moment to begin the process itself "Not for staking a claim on anything... so far. Still each of us should carry one of the enchanted items to see if we can discern their properties"

Lissa nodded, accepting the exquisite lyre with care and just a little trepidation. "This is a beautiful instrument," she murmured, looking it over. There was no dust on the polished metal, and the strings looked as though they had been woven out of moonlight, they were so fine. "I almost don't want to touch it for fear of dirtying it..."

History check or Lore check, whichever's applicable, on legends that are similar to any of the items.

"This is a small bloody fortune," Oisín cracks his back, "This is likely more than the riches of the whole province. I've not seen these likes of wealth together in one place in all my travels."

He pauses, "Which is why I'm well suspicious of this pile of gold. You're certain that there's no darker magic on them, Nim?"

Upon Lissa's inspection and trying to recall the Lore, she notices the symbols of Cli upon the instrument... One of the great traditional Bard Colleges, started and named by one of the seven legendary wordsmiths, whose very voice was said to be able to shape the world with song. There was a tangible sense of magic upon the instrument... as if it was charged with energy that tickled at her fingers... the feeling was both inviting and dangerous. This was an item to be respected... Should she pull on one of those silvery strings, the note would sound pure... the sound reverberating through the entire keep in just the right key even after who knows how many years. However, a silent warning spoke against trying to play it... the sheer charge of power on those strings warned against pulling on them all without knowledge of what may happen.

"Beyond the wonders one can buy with such a pile, there is no further magic on the coins, green knight" says Leina spinning the little wand in her hands, testing its feel "That I can assure you. The magic items may be cursed, though... There is no way to tell without testing them, though that would be more a matter of bad luck than anything else"

Lissa could almost hear the strings humming quietly, so fine that even her breath, even the still air made them dance. They almost begged to be played. What would running her fingers down those strings feel like? The music they would produce could be nothing short of miraculous. This instrument very possibly had stories written about it, more than the people who had played it. Cli himself had used an instrument like this to shape the earth and the air, to build the College that bore his name. Cli...

Lissa paled slightly as her head seemed to clear, stopping her hand short of touching the strings. "I... don't think I should touch this," she said hurriedly, holding it out with both hands, keeping her traitorous fingers solidly on the metal. "Not here. Not right now."